Faith Formation Program Polices

FAMILY ATTENDANCE AT SUNDAY MASS: Parents have the responsibility of sharing their faith with their children and to bring them to Mass every Sunday in order to show them the importance of having God in their lives. Coming together as a family to Mass every Sunday is a faith obligation for all Catholic families that want their children to receive the Sacraments.

CLASS ATTENDANCE & ABSENCES: It is very important that your child attends his/her class every week. If a child arrives later than 15 minutes after the class start time, he/she should proceed first to the school office area for a tardy slip and then to the classroom. If a child is marked tardy three times, it will count as one absence.

Students are allowed only FIVE (5) absences for the Elementary and Jr. High programs. If more than 5 classes are missed, the year will not count towards sacramental preparation. Please inform the RE office of any prolonged absence. We are always here to help. For Confirmation students please refer to the Confirmation Parent Handbook.

If a child leaves the school without permission, the parents/guardians will be contacted and the police may be notified.

If a child needs to be dismissed early, the parent should write a note to the teacher indicating the time of release. Parent, or parent designee, will pick up and sign the child out in the office area at the designated time.

COMMUNICATION: Each registered family will receive a monthly newsletter. All notices from our office will be sent home through the children’s teacher in the COMMUNICATION folder. Please read all information. Always ask your children if they were given any papers that you need to read. THEY MUST BRING THEIR COMMUNICATION FOLDER TO CLASS EVERY WEEK!

VOLUNTEERS : All your children’s teachers are volunteers. Please keep them in your prayers and treat them as the precious gifts that they are to your Parish. We always need more aides in the classrooms. If you want to help, please call our Religious Education Office.

VISITORS: We enjoy visitors in the classroom. However, in the interest of safety during possible catastrophes or emergencies, we NEED TO KNOW IN ADVANCE! A “minor” (in age) friend of your son or daughter must bring a parent’s note with an emergency phone number. We take responsibility for every student very seriously during the hours of class.

ACCIDENTS: If a child is injured, a First Aid certified staff member or teacher will immediately attend to the student, administering First aid as needed and parents will be notified. If the injuries or condition of the student appears to be even remotely serious, 911 will be immediately called and parents will be notified.

TUITION AND FEES: Using the principles of Stewardship, we depend on Time, Talent and Treasure to provide for the Religious Education of our parish families. Tuition fees are the Treasure commitment we each make to Religious Education. At St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish we have adopted a Tuition program ($90 fee for Sacrament Prep (SP) and $45 fee for Continuing Education (CE) per student).* For Confirmation fees, see confirmation parent handbook.

*For registrations before July 1, 2015 there is a $20 discount applied for payments in full at registration. *For registrations after July 1, 2015 but before September 1, 2015 there is a $10 discount applied for payments in full at registration.. A $5 fee will be applied to all late payments. $25 NSF fee for all returned checks. Failure to pay account in full by February 1, 2016 will require full payment at registration for future years for any Faith Formation Program.

As of July 1, 2014, all Payments must be made with cash or check, no credit or debit cards will be accepted. Please bring exact change. Any change to be return at payment may be applied to any outstanding balance at the RE Office's discretion.

For what does my tuition pay? It represents the cost of textbooks, catechist training, manuals and materials, sacramental preparation, communication costs, volunteer appreciation, family and special programs, curriculum development, and general office operation...No Salaries or benefits.

Behavior and Discipline

The following are behavior guidelines for students. Please read these with your children and encourage their compliance. Together, we can teach our children the importance of living the words of Jesus.

Behavior: 1. Students should enter classrooms only if the volunteer Catechist is in the assigned classroom. 2. Communication folder and books needs to be brought to class each week. 3. Students are expected to model their behavior after Jesus Christ who instituted two Great Commandments: “You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 11:27). 4. No food or drink or chewing gum inside of the school building 5. No electronic devices (IPods, IPads, MPS Players, video games, etc) Cell phones must be turned off and put away. 6. Behavior or language that intimidates, belittles, harasses (including harassment of a sexual nature) makes inappropriate references or physically harms oneself or others will result in disciplinary action . 7. The Faith Formation program meets in the school classrooms, therefore going inside students desks is inappropriate. Each classroom has its own supply bin. 8. The following are some guidelines for behavior based upon these simple principles: A. Students properly respect and obey adults in authority. B. Students properly respect the personal space and personal property of others.

Discipline: In the event a student engages in inappropriate behavior any or all of the following may occur: 1. Parental notification of infraction. 2. Meeting between parents and Catechist and Director of Faith Formation. 3. Parent attendance required at subsequent program classes. 4. Temporary removal of student from Religious Education program. 5. Permanent removal of student from Religious Education program.

The Director of Faith Formation is responsible for ensuring that all sanctions against students are implemented in a fair and consistent manner by the faith formation catechists and staff.